After the Darkness there Was You
by maia.maiestas
Summary: Cedric has miraculously returned from the dead but his memory has been severely affected. The only thing he can really remember is a certain bossy, dark haired witch. How will Hermione take the new found admirer? WARNING: smut
1. Coming Back

**Coming Back**

When Cedric returned from the darkness he had endured, there wasn't much he could remember of the time before. There were some faces flying in front of him, a green-eyed boy with glasses, a pretty girl with black straight hair and a little mousy man with a pair of specks balancing on the bridge of his nose. He soon learned that the man was his farther. The boy with the glasses and the girl were some of his friends, his father told him. But the most memorable memory he had, the most vivid face in his mind, his father could tell him nothing about.

He saw a petit girl with curious, brown eyes and auburn hair that hung in wild curls around her stunning face, teasingly tickling her heart shaped mouth. A smile was constantly hovering near the corners of that same mouth, but while she was fast to laugh, he sensed a seriousness in her that was deeply rooted and not easily discarded. The frown on her forehead, he guessed, was caused by the need and the want to solve the great mysteries of the world. She intrigued him. And he didn't know who she was.

No, his father didn't seem to know who she was. And there was nobody else he could ask. There had been people to see him, but he didn't like talking to them. They all said that they were his friends that he once knew them, but he couldn't even remember their faces, let alone their names. So he usually told that his father to tell them that he was sick, when one of his so-called friends came to visit.

It had been almost a month since he'd been brought back from the darkness. His father had held him indoors the entire time, saying that it wasn't safe outside anymore. That there were people out there, who were dangerous. That they were the ones who'd already killed him once, and his father feared that they'd want to do it again. So he'd been locked up, which he hadn't minded at all. It gave him time to think and try to remember which wasn't easy. It was all such a blur. Except for that girl. He wished he knew her name. Just her first name. But he came up blank.

He was sitting in his old room, looking at things he knew she should be able to remember, when his father came running in, waving a paper in the air with a happy smile.

"It's over, my boy!" he yelled joyfully. "The war has ended!"

He threw the paper on Cedric's bed. Carefully Cedric picked up the paper and was instantly drawn to the large picture under the headline that read 'The Boy Who Lived and His Friends End the War!". In the picture were three tired and worn young people. He recognised the one with the glasses, his friend Harry Potter, and the other boy didn't really mean anything to him. But it wasn't the boys he looked longingly at – it was the third person, the young girl. Though she was dirty and sad he recognised her instantly. It was the girl from his memories. His heartbeat sped up as she looked straight at him.

"Dad!" he said and showed his father the photo. "It's the girl. She's the one I've been remembering."

His father studied the photo and then looked up at Cedric with confused eyes.

"That's Hermione Granger," he said slowly. "She's Harry Potter's best friend. But… I didn't know that you knew her."

Cedric shrugged and answered, "Well, I must have since I remember her."

"I guess so…" his father said a little hesitantly.

"I would like to meet her," Cedric said slowly. His father looked questioningly at him as if he was deciding whether or not he was serious before he nodded slowly.

"I'll see what I can do."

His father didn't say anything more on the subject for the next couple of days, but Cedric never forgot about the girl, Hermione. He read every article about her, closely studied every picture, getting to know her from afar. He began to think that his father hadn't forgotten their conversation until he came to him day.

"There's a visitor for you," his father said with a great smile.

Cedric groaned. Another one of those friends he couldn't remember that he had.

"Can't you just say that I'm ill or something?"

"Oh, I really think you want to see this one, Cedric," his father beamed at him and gestured to someone outside door. Cedric sat up straight in his bed when Hermione Granger walked into his room with a little hesitant smile and her hands shyly holding each other in front of her body.

"Hi," she said sweetly as her cheeks flushed a delicate pink.

A lump formed in Cedric's throat and the sight of her stupefied him.

"Hi," he managed to croak. She laughed timidly and glanced down. "Dad, would you mind?"

His father only beamed brighter than before and got out again, silently closing the door behind him.

"Would you like to sit down?" Cedric asked and gestured to his comfortable reading chair. She smiled as she quietly sat down, her hands neatly folded in her lap. It was obvious that she wasn't quite comfortable, but for the life of him Cedric couldn't find any words to change it. Seeing her in real life after having dreamt of her for so long had him tongue-tied.

"So," Hermione finally said, breaking the tension that had started to settle in, "your father said that you had some questions for me. I don't really see how I'd be able to help, but I'll do what I can."

And then she smiled the most pleasant smile he'd ever seen. It lit up the entire room and practically set his heart on fire.

He cleared his throat before explaining his situation, "Well, you know, I presume what I've been through lately." He paused and she nodded in agreement. "There're not many things I can remember. But your face was one of them. So I was sort of hoping that you might be able to tell me why that is."

He held his breath and waited for an answer. But she looked just as clueless as his father had.

"I'm afraid I can't help you with that particular problem," she said apologetically. "We were never really friends. I don't even think we've ever had a conversation."

He felt his heart sink into his stomach and his mouth going slack.

"Seriously?" he said a little hoarsely. "But, I remember your face so vividly. And your smile and your laugh and the way you walk. It's all so clear to me. Why would I remember you if I didn't even know you?"

"Oh, we knew each other," she said quickly. "Or, at least, we knew _of_ each other. But as I said, I don't think we've ever said a word to each other."

Feeling confused out of his mind, Cedric sat back against the stack of pillows he had pilled at the headboard of his bed.

"I don't understand," he said slowly. "I thought that we…"

Hermione waited politely for him to continue, but when he didn't she prompted him by saying, "That we what?"

"Well, I actually thought that we might be dating."

At those words a broad smile spread on Hermione's face.

"We weren't dating," she said. "Cedric, when you…" she trailed off with an uncomfortable loo crossing her face, making her smile falter.

"When I died," Cedric finished for her. "It's okay, you can say it."

"Well, when you died you were 17 and I was only 14. There's no way you would have looked at me with any romantic feelings."

"Why do you say that with such certainty?"

Again, Hermione looked uncomfortable, but to her credit she didn't hide from his question.

"Cedric, you were the hero at our school. I was just the annoying, bossy know-it-all."

He pondered her words for a while before saying, "I don't mind a know-it-all. I might not have seemed like I noticed you in school, but the fact does remain that I remember you more clearly than anybody else. So I must have noticed you. I simply must have."

Now it was Hermione's turn to ponder.

"Sounds reasonable," she concluded. "But let's not dwell on that subject any longer. Is there anything else I can help you with?"

For only the briefest moment Cedric thought about asking her to kiss him, but it felt wrong to do so. If what she said was right and they'd never been friends he couldn't very well just ask her to kiss him. She'd likely be mad and never want to see him again. No, he had to play this one smart.

"Yes, there is, but I'm feeling a little tired now," he said and pretended to stifle a yawn. "Would you mind terribly coming back tomorrow to help me again?"

Her hesitation was brief before she answered, "Certainly, I'll be back same time tomorrow. You just rest now and I'll see you tomorrow."

She rose from the chair and quickly made her way to the door.

Right before she was about to leave Cedric said to her, "I'm really looking forward to it."

She looked back at him with a little smile and then left.

_**This story is the first chapter in a multi-chapter story requested by blowing-winds. I hope you like it so far!**_

_**I'm not quite certain how I feel about this story yet. I think the idea is good enough; I'm just worried that my execution is all that good. But oh well, I'll make the next chapter better I hope.**_

_**As always, please review and/or request!**_


	2. Remembering

**Remembering**

The next day he was anxiously awaiting Hermione's return. He had his pillows stacked high behind his back so that he sat upright, he had tidied up the room as much as he could before he got exhausted and he had put on his best, comfortable clothes (a dress robe felt too formal). He was more than ready and just a little nervous.

When a soft knock on the door sounded, his heart skipped a beat but he managed to sound semi-confident when he said, "Come in."

The door creaked open and Hermione's head appeared with a big, luminous grin plastered on her lips.

"Hey!" she exclaimed happily. "How are you today? Rested enough?"

"Completely rested," he laughed as she sat down in the same chair she had used yesterday. "I'm glad to see you again."

"Glad to be back. I can't tell you how great it is to be out of the spotlight for just a few hours."

It wasn't really what he wanted to hear. But so what if she wasn't there solely for him. The point was that she was there.

"So," she said and sat back comfortably and drew her knees up to her chest, "what do you want to know?"

"I'd really like to know more about you."

When Hermione's brows knitted together he quickly added, "I'd just like to know why it is I seem to remember you more clearly than anybody else."

"I'd actually like to know that too," Hermione admitted thoughtfully.

"So, I thought you could tell about things me might have shared, things we have done together and stuff like that."

Her smile returned and she wrapped her arms around her knees saying, "I can do that. Well, when I came to Hogwarts you in your 3rd year and I'm pretty certain that you didn't know I existed at least not until the end of that year. You see, being Harry Potter's best friend really puts you on the map."

As she told the story of how she and her two friends battle against the most evil wizard of all time repeatedly, how she was petrified and how she travelled through time to save a man's life he felt himself getting completely pulled in by her soft, melodic voice. It felt like a balm against his frayed nerve endings. It was smooth honey running down his scalding throat. It was soothing and calming. When she laughed of something funny she remembered, like when she punched a boy in her year, he felt himself get pulled into her laugh and laugh alongside her.

"And that was the summer you and I actually met," she finally said. He sad up straighter and strained his ears to pay full attention on the part of the story.

"I was going to the Quidditch World Cup with the Weasley's and we were meeting you and your father at the same Portkey to the site of the Cup."

She hesitated in her story so Cedric urged her on, saying, "What happened then? Did we talk?"

"Uh, no," she answered, looking a little apologetic. "You said 'hi' and we all said it back. Well, except for Fred and George. They hadn't yet forgiven you for beating them in a Quidditch match the year before."

He liked the way she smiled at the memory, but he knew that she smiled because of the boys she had mentioned and not because of him. Suddenly, as he watched her, the smile disappeared and tears welled in her eyes. Her lips quivered and she quickly hid her face in the crook of her elbow. But he still heard her sniffle to stifle the tears.

"What's wrong?" he asked in concern. He reached out to put a comforting hand on her hers, when he realised that she probably wouldn't be comfortable with that. To her, they weren't friends. Even if she was the only friend he knew.

She sniffed again before she raised her head and looked sadly at him with big, glassy eyes.

"We lost Fred in the battle," she sobbed. Though he didn't know who Fred was, he felt a stab of pain tear through him. A picture of a two identical read-haired boys with big, goofy grins flashed through his head but he didn't linger on it. Hermione gingerly brushed away the tears and sent him a shaky smile. "Fred and George were twins, so you can imagine how devastated George is."

With a frown Cedric asked, "They wouldn't happen to be red haired, would they?"

Hermione nodded absentmindedly.

"Yeah, the entire Weasley family has…" she trailed off and her eyes widened in shock. "You remember them?"

"It seems that I do," he smiled proudly.

A huge smile erupted on Hermione's face and she jumped out of the chair to sit on the bed next to him, taking his hands in hers.

"That's wonderful!" she exclaimed excitedly. "Anything else?"

"No, not really. But if I get this reaction from you every time I remember something I'll try to make it habit whenever you're around."

He smirked at her and a blush instantly settled on her cheeks. She released his hands and moved back into the chair.

"Sorry about that," she murmured, the blush turning a deeper pink. "About the jumping and the crying and all."

"Don't be," he said. "I liked it. Well, not the crying part so much. But the rest was just right."

His words made her smile, one corner of her mouth turning up against her will. He vowed to make her smile more often.

"What happened then, you know, at the Quidditch Cup?"

It was still weird for him to talk about things like these. He knew that he was supposed to love Quidditch and that he was said to be really good at it. He just didn't remember it. His father had explained it to him a few times, but it still didn't ring any bells.

"Well, we went there and didn't see each other again before the start of the new school year," she answered matter-of-factly.

"So what did we do when we were in school?"

She hesitated, as if she was uncomfortable with this part of the story.

"Hermione, I know about the Tournament. And I know about the dying part. I just want to know what the year was like for you."

She seemed to be comforted by those words and started telling about her 4th year at Hogwarts. Apparently the Tournament seemed to have taken as much of her time as it had his, since her best friend was also a contestant. For some silly reason he felt himself getting a little jealous, hearing endless story about her two best friends who both happened to be guys. He was well aware that his jealousy had no grounds but he couldn't shake it off. Seeing the light in her eyes when she said their names, hearing her laugh when she recalled something they'd done together was enough to make his chest ache. And then suddenly there was another guy thrown into the mix. He was also a contestant in the Tournament and he seemed to be interested in Hermione. Much like he himself was. When she started telling about an upcoming dance another image flashed before her eyes.

"Wait a minute," he said and silenced her stream of words. She looked curiously at him but he ignored it and focused on the image behind his eyelids. He saw Hermione, but there was something different about her. Her hair wasn't bushy, it was smooth and polished and gathered in a sophisticated bun. Her smile was nervous, but her eyes were sparkling and she was wearing a blue, flowing dress. "Were you wearing a blue dress for that dance?"

Again her eyes widened but this time she didn't jump onto his bed (curse it!).

"Yes, I was!" she exclaimed happily. "You remember that too?"

"Yup," he said, feeling almost giddy. In less than two hours he had remembered more than he had in the last month. A miracle, perhaps. Or perhaps it was Hermione. "You looked beautiful."

"Thank you," she said with a little, shy blush. It was absolutely adorable.

Just then there was a knock on the door and Amos Diggory showed himself.

"Hey you two," he said way too cheerful. "How's everything going?"

Cedric wanted to say something snappish to get him to leave as soon as possible, but Hermione didn't give him the chance.

"Amazingly," she said. "Cedric has been remembering some things."

Amos' eyes widened to the point where Cedric feared that they were going to pop out.

"You're serious?" he asked and Hermione nodded. "That's wonderful!"

"Yeah," Cedric seconded, feeling less than enthusiastic. He wanted to be alone with her again, but when his father entered the room and sat down in the foot end of his bed it was clear that that wasn't going to happen any time soon. And then Hermione rose from the chair with an overbearing smile.

"I think I'll leave you two alone," she said.

"But you'll be back tomorrow?" Cedric asked before she could leave.

"Sure," she said and then she was gone once again.

_**I'm starting to feel this story now, so the updates might be coming pretty fast. I hope you all liked this chapter.**_

_**Please oh please review, it makes my fingers work faster when writing. Uh, and request if you want me to do something for you.**_

_**Other than that… have a great day! And remember to go see the last HP movie, it's awesome! I'm actually on my way to see it a second time right now. I know, double nerd! **_


	3. Fieldtrip

**Fieldtrip**

"Hey, sleepy head!" an overly cheery voice boomed at him, penetrating his sleepy haze. He turned over to his other side to escape it, but two small hands grabbed his shoulders and turned him back around again. "Oh no, you don't!"

"Why won't you let me sleep?" he mumbled grumpily as he cracked open an eye. The sight meeting him instantly woke him up completely. There she was, Hermione Granger, in his bedroom, watching him sleep. Or, more correctly, trying to wake him up.

"What are you doing here?" he asked as he rubbed his eyes.

"Your father sent me an owl, asking me to come here earlier today," she answered brightly. "Now I'll just give you a few minutes to get dressed. Wear something warm, it's not exactly warm outside."

"Okay…" he said hesitantly, before her words finally penetrated his clouded mind. "Hey, did you say outside?"

She paused in the doorway and said back over her shoulder, "I sure did. We're going on a fieldtrip today!"

When she left the room, Cedric tiredly rubbed his face and said to himself, "She is definitely way too perky."

It took him some time to finally decide what to wear. After a quick look outside the window he decided on a pair of lose jeans and a casual, dark red pullover sweater. He then exited his room and made his way to the living room. Hermione hadn't told him where she was going to wait for him, but all he had to do was follow his father's laughter. He found them sitting together in the cosy living room, his father doubled over with his hands clutching his stomach, tears practically running down his cheeks. He was laughing like Cedric had never seen him laugh before. Hermione was sitting across from him, smiling widely.

His father finally sobered up and found Cedric standing in there, looking at him incredulously.

"Son," Amos said and wiped a tear from his cheek. "Glad to see you're up and about. Miss Granger here was just telling me about one of her many adventures."

They exchanged a look that made Cedric feel kind of on the outside of things. But it was only fleeting. The feeling disappeared completely when Hermione turned her attention to him.

"Are you ready to go outside then?" she asked and he answered with a small nod.

Outside of the house he hesitated. This was the first time in years that he felt the sun on his face. It was the first time he felt the wind his hair. The gravel under his feet. Hermione stood silently beside him, patiently waiting for him to adjust.

"How are you feeling?" she softly asked.

"Amazing," he answered truthfully, his heart swelling with the single word. "Truly amazing… So! Where are we off to?"

She smiled slyly at him and held out her hand. He eyed it questioningly.

"You'll see," she said. "Just take my hand and I'll Apparate us there."

He didn't hesitate for long before he took her hand. She didn't give him time to revel in the feel of her hand in his before she turned on her heel and pulled him alongside her into darkness. The feeling of the tuck behind his navel felt slightly familiar, but he didn't have time to dwell on it before they had arrived at their destination. Cedric recognised it immediately.

"It's a Quidditch field," he said slowly.

"You… you recognise it?"

Cedric sighed and shook his head.

"No, I don't. My father's shown me photos, that's all."

"Oh," Hermione sounded a bit disappointed, but soon her cheery mood was back again. "Well, I have one more surprise!"

She turned around and gestured wildly to someone Cedric couldn't see. Not before long two figures appeared on the other side of the field, moving quickly towards them. They were riding on broomsticks, he soon realised. Once they reached him and Hermione they dismounted their broom with big, goofy grins. He recognised both the guys from the many pictures he'd been studying the last week.

"Harry Potter and Ronald Weasley," he said tryingly, as if he was tasting their names.

"Nice to see you again, Cedric," Harry said and held out a hand. Cedric shook it before repeating the gesture with Ron.

"Truly never thought I'd see you again," Ron said as they shook hands. "Glad to be proven wrong, though."

That made Cedric grin.

"Well boys, you know what to do," Hermione said and stepped back. Harry took out his wand and swished it silently through the air. Cedric waited for fireworks or an explosion but nothing of the sorts happened. Instead another broom flew to them and hovered in front of him.

"Here you go," Harry said. "Your old broom."

There was a little flicker of recognition in Cedric's mind as he ran his hand over the smooth handle. An instinct told him what to do next and he didn't question it. He swung his leg over the broom and gently kicked off from the ground. Once he was in the air everything came back to him. he remembered how to go right and left, how to speed up and slow down and even how it felt to play Quidditch.

"You didn't happen to bring a Quaffle, did you?" he yelled down at Ron and Harry. Be had barely asked the question before a large, red ball came zooming towards him.

Hermione watched from down below as the boys started playing Quidditch. It was obvious that Ron and Harry were holding back in order to give Cedric time to adjust and remember, but when Cedric scored 5 times against Ron in a row, they instantly dropped it. It was delightful to watch how everything seemed to come back to Cedric so quickly. He was even more graceful on a broom that she remembered him to be. They had been playing for little more than an hour when Hermione decided to break them up.

"Boys!" she yelled as loudly as she could, but there was no reaction. Not wanting to strain her voice, she pulled out her wand, pressed it to her throat and used the Sonorus spell to amplify her voice.

"Boys!" she yelled again, and this time they all stopped instantly and looked down at her. "Sorry to break up the party, but I promised Amos not to keep Cedric out for too long."

She could almost see their faces fall flat as they very slowly flew back down towards her. Once back on solid ground they all cast her a glum, unsatisfied look.

"Sorry," she said with a little shrug. "But I did promise. You could always do this another day, you know."

And just like that the glum disappeared they were happily chatting away, deciding to make it a weekly thing. When the Quidditch talk started to annoy her, and that was pretty quickly, she cleared her throat loudly.

The chatting came to a halt and she said, "We really have to go now."

The boys nodded reluctantly and with some final handshakes Harry and Ron Apparated home, leaving Hermione and Cedric alone. He turned to look at her with large, thankful eyes.

"I owe you so much," he said.

"Nah, that was nothing," she said nonchalantly. "A simple 'thank you' will do."

He stepped closer to her, took both her hands in his and looked her straight in the eyes when he said, "Thank you."

She blushed and mumbled a polite 'you're welcome'.

_**Tada! I'm on fire!**_

_**Please tell me what you're thinking! And request!**_


	4. Truths and Revelations

**Truths and Revelations**

"Well," he said more cheerfully than she'd ever seen him before and stepped a little way away from her. "You better take me back, then. Don't want you to get into trouble with my father. Then he might not let you come back, and I really don't want that."

She blushed an even deeper shade of pink as she held out her hand with downcast eyes. The sight of her was absolutely adorable, and he couldn't keep a satisfied grin from spreading on his face. He gently took her hand and felt the Apparition tuck at his stomach instantly. Mere seconds later he was standing in front of his house once again. He wanted to hold on to Hermione's hand, but she quickly released his, looking away as if embarrassed by something. He frowned a little in her direction when his father suddenly opened the door.

"There you are children!" he said with a great big smile. "How was it?"

"Brilliant!" Cedric said as he hugged his father tight. "I really owe Hermione a lot."

"Did you remember…?" his father trailed off before he could voice the question.

"Everything! It all came back to me as soon as I got on the broom."

"He's still very good, sir," came Hermione's voice from behind him. Cedric turned around to smile at her. She seemed confident and cheerful again. He wondered what had gotten her so thoughtful. Perhaps he could find out…

"Would you like to stay for tea?" he asked her. Her eyes instantly flickered to his and he detected an unease in her, but it was gone the moment Amos started inviting her as well. She smiled a little uncertainly before she nodded in agreement.

Tea was pleasant, though a little strange to Cedric. For some reason Hermione wasn't really talking to him. She answered all his father's questions patiently an even asked him a couple herself, but when Cedric asked her something or joined in their talk she blushed and started mumbling. Amos didn't seem to catch on, just chatted on. When the last drops had been drunk, Cedric wasn't yet ready to let Hermione go.

"Father," he suddenly said, interrupting something Amos was in the middle of saying. "If you don't mind I'd like to talk to Hermione alone for a minute before she has to leave."

Amos was not in the least bit faced by the dismissal; he just smiled brightly, and perhaps a little knowingly, at the two of them before he collected the cups and went to do the dishes.

"Hermione, would you come with me to my room?"

Her eyes darted about and she stammered something that sounded like, "I really should get going…"

"It'll only take a minute," he reassured her. There really was no polite way for her to get out of it, so she finally agreed.

Back in his room he closed the door and gestured for her to sit down. She did so a little reluctantly. He moved to stand in front of her with crossed arms and glared down at her. She looked so small and vulnerable but also strangely defiant, as if she wasn't going to let him intimidate her. Respect filled his chest and he loosened his stance slightly.

"Tell what's going on with you?" he demanded, cutting straight to the point.

She turned her chin up, making her look extremely stubborn and said, "Don't know what you're talking about."

"Sure you do! So tell me!"

She coughed and shifted as if uncomfortable.

"Don't worry about it," she said hotly. "It's got nothing to do with you."

Narrowing his eyes, he bent over to look at her eye to eye. She didn't blink, but stared back in defiance.

"I beg to differ," he said with a sour smile. "You've been ignoring me ever since the Quidditch field. So tell me, what did I do?"

"Oh, you didn't do anything!" she said quickly and a little horror-stricken. "Absolutely nothing."

"But there is something you're keeping from me. And don't try and tell me that it's got nothing to do with me, because it obviously does."

A long, silent moment passed. Then she cleared her throat loudly and avoided his gaze as she quietly said, "I just realised something about you when I watched you play. It's sort of messed with my mind a bit, that's all."

He watched her closely for any since of a lie, but couldn't find any. She turned her head to meet his gaze directly. He swallowed a lump that had suddenly formed in his throat. Her face was only a couple of inches from his, her eyes burning deeply into his. His heart sped up as he realised that if he leaned a bit forward he could kiss her. And from the way she was watching him he didn't think that she would mind that in the least. Was that what she meant when she said that she had realised something about him? Did she have feeling for him? He had half a mind to put his theory to the test, but finally decided against it. It was too soon yet. He'd have to give her more time. He straightened up and smiled down at her.

"Okay," he said. "I still don't think you're telling me the entire truth, but I'll let it go for now."

Her smile was a little trembling, but that was only for a second.

"Well, I guess you can go then," Cedric said and couldn't keep the note of regret from lacing through his words.

He saw a moment of indecision flickering over her face and he was quick to take advantage of it.

"Unless you'd like to stay of course. You're always welcome to stay."

"I'd like that," she said with a pleasant smile. Cedric sat down on the bed in front of her, watching her closely as she did him.

"There's actually something I'm quite curious about," she finally said.

"Shoot."

"Um," she hesitated before continuing, "I was just really curious about your… you know. Your death."

"Oh, that little thing," Cedric joked, making her laugh a little. "It's quite a mystery actually. Both what happened and how well I remember it, you know, seeing as how I've forgotten everything else We don't know how it happened. We might never know. I died; I know that much for sure. I saw the curse some at me, I felt my body stiffen and I fell into darkness. But not long after that I saw a light in the darkness. I swan or ran, I'm not quite sure what I did really, towards it and then I was back, but not really. I was a ghost, looking at three other ghosts and Harry standing there with terror on his face. I asked him to bring my body back. When I was no longer a ghost, when I went back to the darkness it was different somehow. It was more grey than black, as if I was suddenly closer to life than I had been before I was a ghost. My father brought my body back here to bury it, but he didn't have the heart to do it. So Dumbledore made some sort of magical coffin, made to keep my body from… decaying. I woke up a little more than a month ago, laying in that coffin to everyone's surprise."

Hermione had watched him with interested eyes throughout his tale, never interrupting him once. Even when he fell silent she didn't say a word.

"Did that satisfy your curiosity?" he finally asked her just to end the silence.

"No, actually, it just sparked it," she answered truthfully. "But you've told me all you can, so I won't ask anything else."

"You can always ask me anything you want," he said slowly. She sent him a little half smile.

"That's a dangerous thing to say to me," she laughed a little and he joined her.

"I'm not scared," he laughed back.

"I guess there's not much to be scared off when you've already conquered death once."

The laughter died instantly, replaced by a grim seriousness. Cedric leaned closer to her and took both her hands in his.

"I'll never be able to properly thank you for all you've done for me," he said gravely. She blushed but didn't look away or try to free herself from his grasp.

"I'm always happy to help a friend in need," she said, her words laced with meaning.

"So, we're friends now?" Cedric asked, a little spark of hope flaring in his chest. She nodded. For a while they just sat silently together, their hands still entwined until Hermione pulled away and stood up with an apologetic look.

"I really must be going now," she said. Cedric nodded slowly, still not ready for her to leave him yet. As if she sensed his reluctance Hermione gingerly reached down to him and pulled him in for a nervous hug. Once he returned the hug she seemed to relax.

"I'll be back tomorrow," she whispered in his ear.

_**Uh, things are progressing now! Since I'm quite bored at the moment, house sitting for my aunt and uncle, I'll probably update this story quickly. I don't really know where it's going so I'm just as curios as you guys are!**_

_**Please review and leave a request if there's anything you fancy reading!**_


	5. Beginnings

**Beginnings**

Cedric could barely contain his excitement as he waited for Hermione to arrive the next day. He was all over the place and when he'd spilled his morning juice twice his father had decided that he better leave the house for the rest of the day. Which only made Cedric even more nervous. Not only was he going to see Hermione again, he was going to be alone with her. _Completely_ alone with her.

He nearly fell out of the kitchen chair when the doorbell sounded. With his heart beating fast in his chest he went to the door, took a deep breath and then opened it. And there she was, looking as lovely as ever, a wonderful smile on her lips and a twinkle in her eyes.

"Am I too early?" she asked.

Cedric swallowed the forming lump in his throat and shook his head.

"Right on time," he said and let her in. "My father had some things he needed to take care of so he won't be home today."

"Oh…" Hermione said in surprise, pausing halfway through pulling off her jacket. Cedric took hold of the collar and helped it off her.

"It's not a problem is it?"

"Uh, no. Why should it be?"

"Exactly!" Cedric said and flashed her his most charming smile. She smiled and blushed but didn't look away from him. Instead she seemed to search his face for something, some sort of answer. He suddenly had a feeling that that was usually how she looked at things.

"I was thinking," he said thoughtfully. "Are you usually the sort of person who solves mysteries? You know, crack codes and stuff."

"Definitely!" she exclaimed happily. "You remember that too?"

"Yeah," he said slowly and took a step towards her. She stood her ground even as he was standing flush against her body. "I also remember you in a grand library with your nose in a book. The ink stains on your fingertips. The way you chew you quill when you're thinking. They way your face lights up when you have the answer to something."

"Wow," she breathed. "That was a lot of stuff. About me."

"Yeah," Cedric said equally breathy.

"How do you know so much about me?"

He smiled crookedly and answered, "Apparently I knew you better than you thought I did."

"Apparently," she whispered as if she was only now realising just how close together they were standing. Slowly he reached out to her, scared that she would run away from him. But she didn't. He stroked her cheek carefully with his thumb. When she still didn't move away he cupped her cheek. She smiled a little weakly, but it was enough to send his heart racing.

"Look, Hermione, there are a lot of things I don't know right now and a lot of things I don't remember about my life. But I remember you. And I know that being with you and seeing you have been the highlights of my life this last month."

Her eyes were big round globes brimmed with tears but she still didn't say anything. He studied her intently, trying to figure if they were tears of joy, sadness or perhaps even pity. But her face gave nothing away. Finally he sighed in defeat.

"Okay, you win," he sighed. "We don't have to talk about something like that."

She blinked rapidly in surprise and said, "That's not… it's just that, I don't have a reply."

"Oh," Cedric said, his heart plummeting straight into his gut. "I see. Well, that's that then."

"No, Cedric, please understand," she said, taking his arm as he started to move away from her. "I've been through a lot lately. I've nearly hunted, nearly killed, suddenly saved and then worshipped as a hero. My feelings are all over the place right now and to be honest I don't really trust them."

"Okay," he said slowly, thinking over the things she'd just told him. "But, if you were to trust your feelings, then how are you feeling right now?" he hesitated before he added, "About me, that is."

Hermione took a deep breath and looked away a little uncomfortable.

"Well," she started hesitantly. "I've been back and forth on my feelings for you. Not that I've ever hated you anything! I've just been a little… indifferent that's all. But lately, you know after I started coming here, I've sort of had a change of heart in a way. I've suddenly become very aware of you. And that awareness… well, though it makes me a little uneasy it's not… really… an unpleasant sort of uneasiness. Do you know what I mean?"

When she directed her big, confused eyes at him there was nothing else for Cedric to do than to start laughing. Uncontrollably. It was good while before he was finally calm enough to answer her.

"Surprisingly enough I understood that, though you may just win an award for the most evasive answer ever."

At that Hermione laughed a little shaky laugh.

"But seriously, I understand what you're saying. And more importantly I understand how you're feeling, since I've been feeling the same things in our days together."

There was silence between them for a while before Cedric took a deep breath and continued, "I think I've figured out why I remember you so vividly. I think I might have been sort of in love with you before I died."

"Seriously?" Hermione exclaimed loudly before promptly smacking her hands over her lips. Cedric chuckled a little nervously before he nodded.

"Wow," she breathed. "That's… that's something, huh?"

"Yeah."

Once again he brought his hand to her face and when she didn't move away from him, he leaned down towards her and gently, breezily brushed her lips against hers. It was only a whisper of a kiss, but instantly a strong current jolted all through his body. He let his lips linger on hers before he pulled back. She was looking up at him with curiosity and something he dearly hoped was intrigue. She blinked once, twice and then she suddenly threw her arms around his neck, drawing his face down to hers to clam her lips over his. She kissed with a passionate need that threatened to smother them both. She clung to his neck as his arms snaked around her waist to pull her tightly against his chest. When he felt her tongue run along the lines of his bottom lip he was all too willing to let her in. Once her tongue touched his, it was as if a fire was ignited, a fire that blazed hotter and hotter each time his tongue stroked hers. It was magnificent and glorious and he had a feeling that it was long, long overdue.

This time, when they drew apart, it wasn't to test the waters; it was as primal as the need to draw breath freely. But while their lips broke contact the rest of them were still intimately pressed together. He loved the way she breathed heavily, the way her chest rose and fell against his, the sight of her puffy red lips and the way she looked at him, as if he was her sole purpose, her only redemption.

"I'm not letting you go now," he whispered.

"I don't think I want you too," was her answer and his heart seemed to swell to twice its size. Without a second thought or any hesitation he straightened up so that her feet left the ground. She was quick to wind her legs around his waist which left him free to start walking. He headed straight for his room, stopping only to open the door and closing it behind him before he lowered them both onto his small bed.

_**I know, I've been a little slow lately, but I hope this chapter makes up for it! Things are finally progressing between our two love birds. Perhaps you can guess what's about to happen..?**_

_**As always I love me some reviews!**_

_**Not as always, I'm taking a little break from taking on new requests since I have like a bucket load of them right now.**_


	6. Giving In

**Giving In**

As soon as Hermione's back hit the bed, Cedric felt her stiffen beneath him. She uncoiled her legs from around her waist and dropped her arms from his neck. He drew away from her lips with a befuddled look.

"Is something the matter?" he asked.

She gulped audibly before saying, "It's just that… my life's really complicated right now. I'm not certain that I'm ready for," she gestured between them, "this."

Cedric sighed and nodded.

"I understand. It's going too fast anyway."

"It is," Hermione agreed, though curiously slowly. Cedric frowned down at her when she started biting her bottom lip as if she was thinking hard about something.

"What's going on in that genius head of yours?" he asked, tapping her forehead playfully with a finger. She grinned and seemed to blush a little.

"This _is_ going fast," she repeated. "We hardly know each other. But I'm starting to think that perhaps moving fast can be a good thing some times."

"You confuse me," Cedric said only half joking.

"I know, I'm sorry about that," she said with a sad smile. Cedric couldn't stand seeing her like that, all conflicted and sorrowful, so he brushed a tender kiss against her lips.

"I'm content with just having you here like this," he whispered to her and shifted them so that he was on the bottom with her nestled against him.

There was little pause before Hermione answered, "Would you be content with something more?"

Cedric felt his heart skip a beat.

"More, how?"

"Cedric," Hermione said firmly and raised herself onto one elbow to look down at him. "I need a good distraction. I need to be reminded that I'm alive and that life goes on. Will you help me with that?"

Breathlessly, Cedric answered, "Anyway you need me to."

Then she smiled the most wicked smile he had ever seen before she draped her leg over his abdomen and placed a hand on either side of his head. The smiled stayed on her lips as she bent down, teasingly slowly until their faces were a mere 3 inches or so apart.

"Then kiss me," she demanded and Cedric was quick to obey. He closed the gap between them in record time and kissed her greedily, as if he was a starved man and she was his only source of food. She melted into his expert touch, giving in to every caress of his wandering hands. He stroked her cheek down her throat settling on her breasts. She heaved a deep sigh when he tryingly squeezed them. He grinned into her lips and did it again. This time he was rewarded with a tiny moan. She wriggled suggestively against him and he drew away from her lips.

"You sure about that?" he whispered teasingly. "You know, you don't shove prime rib in a starved man's face just to take it away from him again."

She laughed as she nodded and answered, "I'm sure. This prime rib isn't going anywhere."

He joined in on her laugh and kissed her sweet lips one more time. This time, when his hands travelled over her body, they didn't stop until they reached the hem of her shirt. He took a good hold of it and inched it slowly up towards her head. He stopped briefly when her black bra was revealed and couldn't keep a smirk from his face. But when she wriggled once more, impatiently this time, he pulled the shirt over her head and tossed it aside. Without another second of hesitation she arched off the bed, reached behind her and unsnapped her bra. She pulled it off and threw the same way as the shirt.

"Hey!" Cedric exclaimed theatrically. "I was admiring that bra!"

"I noticed," she said with a little wink. "But you were taking too long, so I decided t take matter into my own hands."

"But I wanted to take it off…" he said and pouted like a little boy.

"Well, it's off now," she said slowly and cast a suggestive glance down her bared torso. Cedric followed her gaze and licked his lips.

"It sure is," he whispered hoarsely. With one last devious smile her way he took a pert nipple into his mouth. This time her moan was throaty and a lightning bolt straight to his already strained erection. He sucked hard on her nipple again while he took a hold of the waistband of her pants. She lifted her arse from the bed and he quickly pulled the pants of her in one fluid motion. Then he let go of her breast to rid himself of his own clothes.

As he unbuttoned his shirt Hermione raised herself onto her elbows and studied him with unconcealed interest. He caught her gaze with his own and slowed down, taking his time with each of the buttons. Her gaze flittered from his to watch the little show he was putting on all for her. When the shirt was completely unbuttoned he teasingly slipped it over his shoulders. She laughed as he flexed his abs. Then he went for the pants, but this time he was wasn't that slow. He was getting impatient, he needed to have her. Now. And she didn't protest when he shed himself of the pants in mere seconds. Down to only his boxers he curled his body around hers, pressing her into the mattress and flush against his heated skin. Their eyes locked and his gently pressed his lips against hers.

Slowly he let his fingers touch her peeking breasts, her flat stomach and then disappear into her black panties. She gasped and jumped a little at his first, hesitant touch, but when he found her tender spot she became jelly in his hands. He felt a great sense of pride when her breathing started getting laboured. He was completely wrapped up in his mission right up until he felt a little hand on his erection. For second he forgot his quest, he even forgot how to breathe, but then she started moving her hand and he resumed his mission. Not before long they were both breathing heavily, all thoughts of kisses forgotten.

Suddenly Hermione released him and pulled his hand from her knickers.

"Okay, enough of this fooling around," she said sternly. "I can't wait anymore."

"Uh, aren't we an impatient little temptress?"

"I am," she said and wriggled an eyebrow. He chuckled and moved off of her in order to remove their last scraps of clothing. Both panties and boxers were easily discarded and suddenly they were sitting naked in front of each other. For a while neither party moved, they were both as carved in stone until Hermione reached out and ran a finger over Cedric's chest. He gave her a lopsided grin and wrapped his arms around her waist.

"You are a beautiful temptress," he breathed before kissing her. As his lips sweetly enveloped her, he pushed her down into the mattress with him on top of her. He carefully spread her legs and laid himself in between them. He took a hold of his member and directed it towards her opening. When he made contact with sticky heat, he couldn't hold himself back any longer. With one long, hard stroke he buried himself deep within her. She arched against him with a silent scream on her lips, her nails digging deep into his shoulder blades. He remained still in order for her to get used to his size.

She was breathing heavily as she held him close to her. Finally, he felt her squirm and bucking against him and he was quick to take a hint. He unsheathed himself from her slick, welcoming heat, feeling every inch of him leaving her. When only his tip remained within her he plunged back into her. Little beads of sweat rolled off his chest, catching Hermione's attention. She tryingly licked one of them off his nipple, enjoying the salty taste of him. He groaned, throwing his head back in please as she suckled his nipple. He pulled out again, agonizingly slowly, before thrusting back in so hard that Hermione couldn't keep her mouth on him. She was pushed far into the mattress when he delivered another hard thrust and then another, each on coming faster and, if possibly, harder than the one before. She gave up every hope of doing anything else than just enjoy the intense pleasure she was receiving. Holding onto his biceps tightly she enjoyed the look of immense satisfaction on Cedric angelic face as he worked her closer and closer to heaven. A knot in her stomach tightened unto the point of pain before it was suddenly resolved in a hot flash of fulfilment and pleasure. Not long after, Hermione couldn't tell exactly how long, she was lost from the rest of the world, Cedric stiffened on top of him before finally collapsing in an exhausted heap next to her. He pulled her against his side and she snuggled as close as she could get.

"Are you happy?" he asked after a few minutes of nothing but hard breathing and silence.

"I am," she whispered and planted a sweet kiss on his chest. "Are you?"

"More than I can ever remember having been before," he said cheerfully, making her laugh, but when the laughter faded Hermione couldn't help getting serious.

"But you can't remember anything, can you?" she sighed.

He took her chin in his hand and moved her head so that he could look at her and she at him.

"I might not remember every single detail of my life," he said kindly as he stroked her cheek. "But I remember the things that count. And I can tell you, without a doubt, that I have never been happier than I am right at this moment. Besides, as long as I have you I'm bound to remember stuff, right? I mean, it's worked so far, hasn't it?"

"It has," she agreed. "I just hope that the streak continues."

"Does that mean that you won't leave me?" he asked. She was just about to laugh, to brush it off as another joke of his. But when she saw the vulnerability in his face she knew that this was no laughing matter to him.

She chewed her lip thoughtfully before she answered him, "I'll stay."

_**And this concludes this story. I'm really sorry for keeping you all waiting so long for this last chapter, but I hope that the chapter makes up for it.**_

_**So now I'm off to work on some of the other requests I have. And because I have so many right now I'm not taking anymore at the moment. But you are as always free to leave a review. It might just make me write faster. Or something…**_


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